how to tie a Iaido Obi

[kawa]

Any special way to tie your Iaido obi without loosing up during practices that is different from the way kaku or heko obi? Picture illustration? Thanks ahead!

[Richie224]

This is the best site I found it's japanese but the photographs are brilliant just click on the photograph of the type of knot you want to tie
http://otokono-kimono.info/kituke.html
However the knot I use is this one as it can be tighten quite easily from under the hakama but the others are worth ago
http://otokono-kimono.info/kata1.html
Have fun!!

[kawa]

thanks!! these website are awsome

[megumisita]

That site was great. Those methods of tying are good for that kimono sash type of obi but what about for the thicker kind of obi that ebogu sells. I don't think they are long enough for that and are too thick for that kind of wrapping.

[Chusan]

Originally posted by megumisita
type of obi ...are long enough for that
Eeerrr, sorry about this, but I guess it might be a nice idea to chose an obi with the proper length, won`t it? :-)

[megumisita]

where do i buy such types of obis? The only types I have seen online are the thick cotton ones that look like karate belts.

Also, I don't wear a kimono under my hakama. Do you think this will affect that type of obi?

[megumisita]

Bah! stupid edit time limits! Sorry if I sounded ignorant of obi but that is because I am. I've been using bokken and sensei said that now I can get iaito. So I have no experience with obi or the types or proper lengths.:(

[rottunpunk]

dont get a karate one-they dont work
you want one like this
http://tozando.com/eng/iaido/ob80.html

though why you'd wear it over your jeans as casual wear i dont know
dont get a brown one either-its not a nice colour

i dont think the size matters as they are all just really long-you want to be able to wrap it round you 3 or 4 times atleast with enough to tie off at the end
could your sensei not get one for you?

good luck
:p

[Paburo]

one of my iaido mates uses a karate/aikido white belt, and ties it just the same way they do in aikido. wears it under the hakama with the knot in front in the same aiki-fashion too.

is this correct? is it a valid way, or is it considered to be wrong among the iaido etiquette??

[megumisita]

Excellent! thanks rottenpunk! I don't know why people would wear them as casual wear either. My sensei leaves all the actual equipment gathering up to us.

[alexpollijr]

Originally posted by Paburo
one of my iaido mates uses a karate/aikido white belt, and ties it just the same way they do in aikido. wears it under the hakama with the knot in front in the same aiki-fashion too.

is this correct? is it a valid way, or is it considered to be wrong among the iaido etiquette??

For practice it might be ok, but it's overall wrong. Iaido Obi (often known as Kaku obi) is much longer (enough to wrap three times) and the knot stays in the lower back. The sword is tucked between the 2nd and 3rd layer if I remember well.

[Saitama Steve]

At my Araki ryu dojo, most of my sempai and sensei use kata basami musubi http://otokono-kimono.info/kata1.html and it never comes loose even when we practice kogusoku (armed/armoured grappling). I also knows some Muso Shinden ryu iaijutsu sensei who use this tying method for their obi too.

Another benefit is that when you have to do ukemi (we have to in kogusoku sometimes), there isn't a great big knot ready and waiting to drive itself into the small of your back.

[chidokan]

karate belts dont 'balance' the sword properly, the length and width help a lot...
and theres nothing wrong with brown little madam...youre just jealous of my nice iaido gi. (have to buy some pinstriped brown hakama next...)
It doesnt all have to be 'purple with dragons on' as you would have us all wear...( at this the rest of the forum readers throw up):D

Tim Hamilton

[LadyGinevra73]

Sorry, where do i buy a iaido-obi in north Italy ? Thaks a lot...

[Richie224]

you can buy one from an online store.

http://www.ninecircles.co.uk/

http://www.tozando.com/

http://www.swordstore.com/

http://bugei.com/subcategory_108.htm

try a search for other european online stores ..... or even try ebay

[LadyGinevra73]

Thaks Richie224 :D

[Shadow147]

Uhm.... NONE of these links are working anymore... help!!

[pgsmith]

That's because they are over three years old. What exactly is it you want help with?

[Shadow147]

Haha, apologies - i was looking for a good way to tie my obi, as i just got my gi, hakama, obi and bokuto in the post yesterday, hours before my class.
Fortunately though, i found a great way to do it:

Start by rolling the obi up fairly loosely so that it's easier to deal with - you've
probably noticed they're a LOT longer than other martial arts belts. Leave about
20-30cm of the obi loose. Place the roll on your left hip so the loose part is hanging
down beneath the hip bone. Then wind the obi 3 times around your body in a
clockwise direction, pausing at intervals to pull it tight - it needs to be tight
enough that you can hardly breathe, otherwise the sword will be too loose.
Now comes the bit that's complicated to describe.... The remainder of the obi should
now be just in (to the front) from your left hip. Turn it over and down so it hangs
downwards and makes a neat triangle against the already-wrapped bit. Then roll
it up (really a set of folds, the same size as the width of the obi) until the
rolled part lies on top of the triangle. Hold in place. Then take the other end
(the one that hung from the left hip at the beginning), pull it slightly to the
right so that it hangs below the folded section, then bring it up and over the folds,
and tuck it underneath the whole thing (so the end bit hangs downwards again) and repeat
until you have no more than an inch or two hanging down. Pull tight. Then grab the
entire knot and rotate the whole obi clockwise until the knot lies at the small
of your back. Finished!

I was very impressed with this method, and i really, really would credit the person who left the method, but i forgot to note their username.
In any case, i hope it helps others as much as it helped me.

[Hank]

...it needs to be tight
enough that you can hardly breathe, otherwise the sword will be too loose.
Hmmm...does everyone do this? I would think it would make a good sayabiki impossible. I tie mine a bit looser.

[Solinde]

Hmmm...does everyone do this? I would think it would make a good sayabiki impossible. I tie mine a bit looser.

I used to do that, and agree that it did hinder my sayabiki. Now I've found a way of tying that works better on my body, so that I can tie it looser. Really worth it.

[danjuro]

Dagnabit! Dead links.:mad:


A quick google bought this up though:

http://kimonoo.net/kituke.html

[SmellsLikeBogu]

I got a small related question,
what's the height you tie your obi on?
I not sure where my sword should rest. on top of my hip? or the side of my hip? I sometimes get bruises on my hip, and I dont think I'm doing it right.

[Andy_Watson]

Hmmm...does everyone do this? I would think it would make a good sayabiki impossible. I tie mine a bit looser.

This is soooo wrong to tie an obi so tight. The sword sits on the hip naturally with the obi to give it some stability. Why would you wear something that hindered your breathing? Is that what the samurai used to do? Is that why they were always shouting with the sheer pressure blasting the air over the vocal chords?

I think not.

The obi should be relatively loose and comfortable with only the hakama himo with a bit of nip in them (pardon the pun). If you can't do sayabiki and noto easily then there is something very wrong.

[Wesley Myers]

Does anyone know of any equivalent links to those that are now dead on this subject?

[Toecutter]

For tying the obi try this (http://kimonoo.net/kata1.html). This is the way I tie it and it but it also has the more common way on the back pages.

[sirius1906]

sticky this?

[chidokan]

I have just gone through 'a new batch of students getting obi' week... rather than too tight, they tend to go on the slack side...and then they look like a bag of rags after 20 minutes practise. Rather than tie so tight you can't breathe, it is usually better just to tense in the stomach muscles when doing the first two wraps. That seems to work best for beginners.

try here... also go for rayon, it doesnt make the saya stick as much when you are sweaty.... and DON'T buy the ready tied ones, they don't work!:D

http://www.shop-japan.co.jp/english-boku/obi-6.htm

[xvikingx]

and DON'T buy the ready tied ones, they don't work!:D
Awesome, that's like the Japanese version of the clip on bowtie!

[Oroshi]

Awesome, that's like the Japanese version of the clip on bowtie!

That's the kind of obi you get if you buy a cheap yukata.